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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · pitcher · ruler · season · chair · pass · tube · cell

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. season — of the year
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com